Dressed in shorts and T shirt despite the early morning sun the wind chill on the boat had us shivering and the 3 hour trip to Paxos island was miserable. All was dispelled with the first view of Paxos’ main town Gaios. As the boat pulled in to the lovely fishing village the main square with its crimson painted church glistened in the bright sun. Before long we were sitting at a waterfront table enjoying a delicious lunch and wine. A post prandial walk along the waterfront and through the village has us reinvigorated.
First view of Paxos Main square Streetscape Lunch
Back on the boat the warmer afternoon has us loving the cruise. We sail to the smaller Antipaxos but decline the option of swimming in the now cooling Ionic sea. Circumnavigating Antipaxos reveals a rugged western coast with cliffs and sea caves and the captain expertly takes us deep into two of them. Cocktails and sunset round off a near perfect day.
Today I have driven around more hairpin bends than I have done all of my life. We have rented a car to drive around much of Corfu. It turns out to be a stressful experience up and down narrow winding mountain roads, often only wide enough for one car. Not to mention the narrow tracks through towns. Nonetheless it is worth the effort as the countryside is nothing short of stunning!
Our first destination was the Achilleion palace 10 km south of Corfu, a steep winding climb up a mountain this was built for Empress Sisi of Austria in 1889. It became her holiday residence until her untimely assassination. The palace is named after Achilles and was built in classic Greek style. There is a classic statue of Achilles with arrow in his heel as well as multiple statues of Minerva. There are amazing sea views.
North of Corfu our lunch stop is at Kassiopi. The drive has beautiful sea views and we eat alfresco on the sea front of this pretty fishing village.
After lunch the next stop is Canal d’Amour. Sandstone cliffs are reminiscent of Port Campbell in Victoria. Legend has it that couples who swim the canal together will find the love of their life. Despite the cooler autumn weather here there are many braving the cold waters for a swim.
The next stop is a rough hike to the viewpoint of Porto Timono beach. The pictures tell the tale
Clickety clack as the poor little wheels on our suitcases struggle with the rough paving of Corfus old town. Our last morning in Albania proceeded uneventfully. The rented car is returned without any drama and we get the stamp from immigration and settled down for the 70 minute ferry across to Corfus Island which belongs to Greece. On clearing Greek formalities we were initially told it is a 10 minute walk to our apartment. We are on our way and it becomes evident that he true distance was 25 minutes. Coupled with erratic Google maps instructions we do a big loop through the old town and it is a sweaty 40 minute walk dragging our suitcases. Fortunately those little wheels survived the ordeal.
Corfu from ferry
The afternoon restored our faith in this place with an exquisite old town, palace and the sublime old fort. The latter has layer upon layer of history. Built initially by the Greeks added to buy the Venetians and finally the British in the 1800s. Absolutely beautiful!
Old Corfu Lunch Old Corfu 16th century St Spyridon church Palace Fort entrance English barracks 16th century Venetian clock tower Lighthouse Church of St George built by British 1840St Spyridon church
Our last day in Albania sees us driving to Gjirokaster, the stone city. It is so named for the old town buildings built in stone with stone roofs. The origins of the city date back to the 5th century AD but the castle was built in the 9th century AD. It is a steady climb from the car park to the bazaar which is now a pretty network of pedestrian only streets catering to tourists with cafes, bars and souvenir shops.
Bazaar Mosque Museum over Hoxha birth place
A brooding fortress looms high above us and dominates the landscape. It is a stiff climb but the views from the rampart are well worth the effort. Apart from its role as a fortress it has a darker recent past. Under communist rule the evil dictator Enver Hoxha used it as a prison to interrogate, torture and incarcerate political prisoners
Beach holiday destinations in Europe are evolving with increasing demand and consequently prices moving the prevailing favoured spot ever eastward. French, then Italian Riviera became Dalmatian coast and now it is here in Albania. Consequently this coast has seen an explosion in tourist infrastructure, hotels, restaurants and tours abound. There are some problems though. The closest airport is in Tirana, four hours drive away. While the move away from the cash economy is proceeding, not everywhere takes credit cards. Finally the peak tourist season ends early October and there is a resultant dearth of tourist services still open.
We take the 5 hour bus to Saranda, the epicentre of the Albanian Riviera. Even with the closure of many hotels, restaurants and businesses there is still enough going on here to make our stay a success. We have a cheap, beautiful apartment with views across the Ionian sea to Corfu. It is a pleasant 20 minute walk into town but the tiny beach has coarse sand and the water is uninvitingly cold.
Albanian coastSarande beachSunset view from our balcony
With the closure of the mainstream car rentals for the winter snagging a car becomes an ordeal. Eventually we are underway and our first stop is Butrint National Park. The heart of the park is the excavation of the ancient port city of Butrint. In the 4th century BC the settlement was surrounded by defensive walls but the city eventually became a cultural centre. In 228 BC the Romans took control and built a theatre, temples and villas according to their style. In the 5th century AD Butrint became an Episcopal residence and a baptistry and basilica were built then. Completing the layers of history is a 16th century Venetian influence. We spend a peaceful couple of hours strolling through the forested ruins.
14th century Venetian tower 4th century BC sanctuary dedicated to Asculpius4th century BC Butrint theatre Agora Lunch at Ksamil
The afternoon has us at the Blue Eye, a popular tourist atttraction is a water spring. The clear blue water of the river can be seen t a depth of at least 50 metres although the true depth has never even actually determined.
As a philatelic child I encountered most of the worlds’ stamps. Branded with the country’s name in their own language and currency it prompted me to do interesting research of far flung countries. One which particularly piqued my interest was a stamp with the country name “Shqiperia” which turned out to be Albania. At that time, the 1970s Soviet Russia and the Iron curtain was a powerful influence in the world. My reading about this small Balkan country intrigued me even further. Today the label “Hermit Kingdom” is used to describe North Korea. In those days it could have equally applied to this country. At the time I remember thinking that I would never get to this country.
For a country whose history goes back thousands of years, very little of the past remains. In common with the other Balkan states it has a long history of Roman and then Ottoman occupation but it is the 20th century that was the most turbulent and interesting. Mussolini and subsequently the German Nazis occupied Albania giving rise to a revolutionary army to gain independence. While the motivation to join was for freedom, the army was successfully led by a young Enver Hoxha, who, at the end of WW2, declared a communist state with himself as the dictator. Sham one party elections followed but with all opposition parties banned he always secured 99% of the vote. He quickly moved to seal the borders no-one could leave and no-one could enter under penalty of death. Between 1945 and his death in 1985 he ruled a brutal and repressive Stalinist state complete with secret police, torture and gulags. Tens of thousands died which on a per capita basis is every bit as heinous as Stalin’s record.
The capitol city of Tirana is quite a revelation. I expected dour Soviet era concrete blocks and basic amenities. We have an apartment in the Blloku area and are in the midst of tree lined boulevards and stylish cafes and bars. The centre is booming with new multistory largely hotel construction but in the last 30 years since the fall of communism here the authorities have built a charming city albeit bereft of any historical monuments and also cursed with crazy chaotic traffic. It is a lovely place to spend a day or two and the food and wine scene is also impressive.
Skanderbek square Et’hem Bej mosque Clocktower Dictator Enver Hoxha was paranoid. He had thousands of bunkers built to protect against invasion Murat Toptani street Tirana castle St Paul cathedral Parliament Pyramid of Tirana built as museum commemorating Enver Hoxha Great mosque of Tirana Resurrection of Christ Orthodox cathedral Enver Hoxha residence House of leaves secret police HQView from Ferris wheel Skanderbek square
It is a pleasant 3 hour drive south winding through pretty, mountainous terrain. Our destination is Lake Ohrid, a massive lake that straddles the border between Macedonia and Albania. It is Sunday and the sun is shining and the little tourist town of Ohrid on the Macedonian side is abuzz with tourists and locals walking the lakeside promenade soaking in the UV rays and the view.
The setting is sublime and on Monday when the tourist traffic dissipates it is peaceful. We are lakeside on the promenade and it is a lovely 15 minute stroll to the delightful old town, a maze of cobblestone alleyways. The moniker “Jerusalem of the Balkans refers to the fact that there are 365 churches here, one for each day of the year. The oldest is the church of St Sofia which dates back to the 11th century. The ancient theatre dates back to 200 BC and a fort on the hilltop dominates the town.
St Sofia church Ancient theatre St John of Kaneo monastery built 14th century Fort St Clement and Panteleimon church
Monday lunch is at Monastery winery with a cheese and charcuterie platter and a guided wine tasting. Both food and wine were amazingly good.
Monastery winery
We finish our afternoon with a boat ride on the lake on a quirky “semi submarine” offering both underwater and deck views.
Semi submarine cruise
Our final morning in Macedonia sees us driving around the lake to the Albanian border and stopping at the Monastery of St Naum. It was established by St Naum, a Bulgarian writer and enlightener, in the 10th century. The present day church dates back to the 16th century and is said to be where the brothers St Cyril and St Methodius developed the Cyrillic alphabet.
I came home late one evening from work and could barely suppress my tears. I had just seen two children 18 months of age malnourished and about the size and weight of a 9 monther. Their parents in the same malnourished state. Their eyes dead and lifeless. In 1999 I was asked to be one of a group of GPs to care for refugees our government took from Kosovo following the attempted genocide by the Serbs. Unhesitatingly I said yes and worked a number of evening clinics after my regular consulting and some weekends. These pitiable traumatised people really had little need for formal doctoring and more nourishment, warmth and care. Fortunately the government setup at the Portsea Army camp which is where they were housed was also replete with all the appropriate allied health to expertly cater to those needs. It was one of my and my country’s better moments and we should all be proud.
Twenty five years on and I am here. This is a country of 2 million of which over 90% are Albanians. Amazingly only 3% were ever Serbs but that minority was in power and persecuted and brutalised the Albanian majority for year until Milosevic decided to attempt a genocide on the Muslim majority. In 1994 an impotent UN force stood aside in Rwanda. A year later the same happened with UN and NATO forces being passive witnesses in Bosnia. Third time lucky, Bill Clinton did not respond passively as he did in the past. NATO responded with airpower defeating the Serbs and restoring sovereignty to the Kosovars.
Newborn is a word that is used a lot here. Declared and recognised as a country in 2008 it is the youngest nation on earth. The capitol Pristina is a small city with little of historical consequence to see. The centre of town consists of a series of tree lined squares with statues and murals depicting some of the notable Kosovars from the past. For me the quirkiest feature here is Bill Clinton square at the end of Bill Clinton Blvd with a large statue of the man himself beaming down on all.
Mother Theresa square Skanderbeg square Kosovo flag Pristina mosque Pristina clocktower Kosovo parliament Bill Clinton square
Prizren is the second city of Kosovo and is the historical and cultural hub of Kosovo. It is pretty and has a whole lot more history and attractions than Pristina. This is a pretty little independent country. Despite their tragic past they are succeeding economically and more importantly, as a tolerant multiracial society.
Land border crossings are a novelty to my life partner. We are halfway through our 4 hour bus journey from Sofia to Skopje and this one passes smoothly and uneventfully. We arrived at Skopje early in the afternoon and hit the ground running again. North Macedonia was a part of the former Yugoslavia and a separate entity to Macedonia in Greece. It is a multicultural melting pot of Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs, Turks and Bosniaks. Skopje is its capitol.
This is a country whose past goes back to the 6th century BC. Phillip 11 of Macedon absorbed the region and created Macedonia in 356 BC. His son Alexander the Great expanded the empire all the way to modern day India to be the dominant of its time.
Central Skopje has a number of impressive monuments around Macedon square and a pretty old city. Unfortunately there Is a lack of maintenance and widespread graffiti which lends an element of unkempt scruffiness to the whole place.
View from our apartment Fort Skopje stone bridge built by the Ottomans in 1469Statues around Macedon square Archeological museum Old city Arch Mother Theresa house St Ohrid cathedral
Our final part of the loop around Bulgaria involves 8 hours of driving. Some hours are over rough winding corrugated roads which have a disproportionate amount of international trucks from Serbia and Romania. We arrive at the off the beaten track tourist sight of Belogradchik Fortress a stone’s throw from the Serbian and Romanian border.
As we approach the road winds steadily higher through a rocky wilderness that would be more at home in, say, Utah. The fortress is unique as the over 3 quarters of the “wall” is composed of massive rock towers and only a small amount has had to be built by human hands. Built in the 14th century the fortress walls are a massive 2 metres thick. This is an amazing structure in a unique landscape.
The long drive has us racing against the clock with our return to Sofia. We need to return our rental car, find our new apartment and make our way to our dinner booking at 7:30 pm. It is a rushed 20 minute brisk walk to get us there but we are on time to the “Secret Chef’s Table” restaurant. A 22 course degustation with matched wine. The chef is centre stage here and explains the exquisite dishes and wines in detail to the shared table of a dozen diners. It is a decadent finale to our time in Bulgaria. We have loved our time here, the sights, accommodation and food and wine have far exceeded expectations. This is a country I would be happy to return to.
